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Beevi failed to save Constitution: Cabinet
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 1
The Centre today decided to recall Tamil Nadu Governor Fathima Beevi for what it called her “failure” to discharge her constitutional obligations in the wake of the arrest of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and two Union Ministers in Chennai yesterday.

A decision to this effect was taken at an emergency Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

“The Cabinet is of the opinion that the Tamil Nadu Governor has failed to discharge her obligation for safeguarding the Constitution and constitutional provisions in Tamil Nadu and it was decided that President K. R. Narayanan be advised to recall the Governor who had defended the police action in a report she sent this morning to the Centre,” Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley told newspersons after a two-hour-long meeting here.

Soon after the meeting, Mr Vajpayee telephoned President K. R. Narayanan and conveyed the Cabinet’s decision.

According to sources, once the Governor is recalled a stop gap adjustment will be made before a final decision is taken on who will be the next Governor of Tamil Nadu.

Elaborating on the Cabinet meeting, Mr Jaitley said the Governor’s report, received on a directive from the Centre, did not “objectively reflect” the situation in the state as she had merely forwarded the views of the state government on the arrest of the two Union Ministers Murasoli Maran and T.R. Baalu.

Today’s decision of the Cabinet may not be the end of the Centre response to the shocking Chennai incident as the Cabinet will meet again tomorrow to discuss the situation further.

Although big-wigs of the Central Government remained silent on whether President’s rule would be imposed in the state, the sources indicated that the Centre was awaiting a comprehensive report on the ground situation prevailing in the state from the Home Ministry team, which is returning tonight, to decide on the possibility of imposing central rule.

Mr Jaitley said the discussion on the developments in the state and the various options remained inconclusive today and the Cabinet will meet tomorrow to discuss the situation further.

Asked about the content of the Governor’s report, the Law Minister said the report, received by Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande at 9.30 a.m., indicated that Beevi did not make any “independent” and “objective” assessment of the situation in the state but merely forwarded the views of the state government.

“In fact, several portions of her reports are verbatim contents of the report of the Chief Secretary sent to the Union Home Secretary,” he said.

“It is an obligation of the Governor to keep the Honourable President and the Central Government informed of the correct and objective situation as it exists in the state and that has to be done from time to time..... No such report was sent yesterday even though there was a clear defiance of the central authority by the state government,” Mr Jaitley said.

The report remains silent on the constitutional “impropriety” of the state government, and the state police going to the house of the Union Minister against whom there was no case pending, assaulting of the Union Ministers, he said.

Mr Jaitley said the report was also silent on the assault on Mr Maran despite his delicate state of health and his hospitalisation later and also there was no mention of the injuries caused to Mr Baalu, his being kept in police custody and denial of medical attention to him.

“These are not ordinary incidents and the Governor is not there just to rationalise what the state government does,” Mr Jaitley said.

Stating that human rights of political workers had been “abrogated”, media intimidated and press freedom was in peril in the state, Mr Jaitley said the Governor was duty bound to inform the Centre objectively about the prevailing situation.

“But the report quoted the state government as conveying to the Governor that there was no intimidation of mediapersons,” he said.

To a question whether the Centre was contemplating on imposing President’s rule in Tamil Nadu , he merely said the Cabinet would meet again tomorrow and “various other subjects will be discussed”.

Beevi, who is in the eye of a storm ever since her decision to swear-in Ms Jayalalithaa in May, came under attack at yesterday’s meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which found her silence on the developments in Tamil Nadu as “worrisome”.

In her report to the Centre today, which the Prime Minister had sought, Beevi defended the arrest of the two ministers saying they were obstructing public servants from discharging their duties.

Beevi defends action

Chennai, July 1
Tamil Nadu Governor Fathima Beevi is understood to have defended the arrests of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and two Union Ministers in her report sent to the Centre today on yesterday’s dramatic developments in the state.

Based on the Governor’s report, Mr Pande will prepare a Cabinet note which will be put up at 12.30 p.m., to be presided over by Mr Vajpayee. PTI, UNI